Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill is not just another ghost story. While weaving a supernatural tale Hill manages to invest the story with some of the real life horrors in the world. Through the eyes of Jude Coyne the reader explores the experiences of an aged rock musician and the people in his life both present and past. With characters rich in design that you can alternately love and hate Hill takes you on a roller coaster of emotions.
Jude’s baggage is not the only weighty burden being carried in a life of denied regrets, mistakes pushed to the back of the mind, and realizations we are all responsible for one another in this small world we inhabit. As Jude faces his demons, both real and unreal, his perspective on life changes. Watching this 50+ man-boy grow into something so much more you will begin to cheer him on. As he changes so does the music he creates, developing deeper and richer meaning.
One of the biggest lessons learned in this story is that you can’t move forward until you have acknowledged the past. Only by accepting where you came from and who you were can you become the person you are meant to be.
This is my favorite book by Joe Hill. The language is vibrant and engrossing. I truly could not put this down, reading late into the night and putting off other things I REALLY needed to do. In both this and Hill’s other novels, NOS4A2 and Horns, there is a message of morality and consequences. It all reminds me a little of a quote by another of my favorite authors: “What you bought, you owned, and what you owned eventually came home to you.” ¬Pet Semetary by Stephen King.
Between the Beats 